Kiss at Your Own Risk
by lightningpelt
Summary: Kissing a fire demon... let me give you a bit of advice, as I sit here applying burn ointment to my tongue. Hiei x Mukuro Oneshot


**(A/N) I justfinished YYH... and oh how I love this pairing. If you don't, there are plenty of other awesome stories out there to read. **

**This idea just gave me the warm-n-fuzzies, so I had to share. :3 **

**This is post-series, in case that wasn't clear. **

**Kiss at Your Own Risk**

First: Don't. Fire demons aren't worth the trouble. At least mine isn't.

... At least, that's what I think when I'm sober of him. But as soon as he gets into my blood... I shutter to think of my weakness. Though when I say weakness I certainly don't mean I turn into some jelly-kneed fangirl, prepared to throw myself onto him. I just mean that I can't bring myself to think of doing without him.

But I digress.

Second: Don't encourage your fire demon. I remember being shocked the first time he kissed me. I hadn't expected him to do anything remotely like that, even if we had hinted at such things before. I remember feeling my core thrum in sudden unison with his- I felt bodily pleasure like I hadn't thought possible.

I also remember it hurt like _hell_.

Now, sparks playing across your tongue may be one of those romantic clichés, but it is _not_ pleasant outside of romance novels. Still, I couldn't break away; I had known pain during such encounters before (during _all_ the similar encounters in my life) and that scared me... but this was different. Hiei wasn't pushing me down; he wasn't forcing it. He was being gentle, actually, in his own way... and I couldn't bring myself to break away.

Oops. I said his name, didn't I? If he reads this I am thoroughly screwed over.

Anyway, my tongue stung for days after that kiss. And what was worse, Hiei- no point in avoiding his name now -wouldn't stop watching me. And there was something _new_ in his gaze. I was starting to think I had made a mistake by letting him kiss me like that- he looked hungry, with that look he got whenever I was cooking his favorites.

Which leads to my third bit of advice: Don't make yourself dessert.

Yes, Hiei was hungry. And I was dessert. I started to avoid him- my tongue still hurt, and I wasn't too keen on letting him get me under him, no matter how respectful or gentle he was. I decided I had to tell him "no," once and for all. And then he started popping up in my dreams. So I, like any empty-headed girl, started to second-guess myself.

Fourth: Don't play hard-to-get. Even if you're actually trying to _be_ hard-to-get.

Hiei saw it as a game- I should have known he would, the arrogant little scrap. But I was far too flustered ("Flustered," Mukuro? You? Yes, I was flustered. I'll really have to kill him if he reads this, now). But Hiei had gotten to me. And all I could seem to do was scamper about the hallways of my own castle like some shy little ningen schoolgirl. I felt so _stupid_, but every time I saw him, I lost all my nerve and ended up ducking behind a corner! He saw me, of course, and usually laughed; sometimes gave chase.

But how could I face him? Did he have any idea how much the kiss had hurt? And how could I tell him when I knew he was trying so hard? Even more terrifying ("Terrifying?" You were terrified? You, Mukuro? Yes, me! Terrified by an uppity little fire demon!), what if he... wanted to go farther...? When the thought had first crossed my mind, I had gone _down_, hitting the floor hard enough to jar my whole body.

Which leads me to number five: Be honest. If the bloody kisses hurt your bloody tongue, tell the bloody fire demon _before_ the whole thing blows up in your face.

When Hiei finally caught up with me, does the little scrap bother with questions? Or any talk, for that matter? No. The arrogant little youkai pins me to the wall and kisses me again!

Normally, I wouldn't put up with such shenanigans. But instead I found myself _kissing_ _him_ _back_, merrily digging my own grave even deeper. But I was in for a nasty surprise- and so was he. I ended up with not just a few sparks (damn the romantic clichés to the deepest depths of hell) but with actual _flames_ dancing in my mouth. And I screamed.

I couldn't help it. I was good at enduring pain; at hiding it, but an unexpected mouthful of fire made me jerk back and shove him away, shrieking as blood dripped from my badly burned mouth.

I must add tip number six, here and now: Don't assume he's ignorant or cruel; never assume he's arrogant or uppity... or that he's any more certain of anything than you are.

I was mortified ("Mortified?" You were mortified? You, Mukuro? Yes, me! I was mortified, okay? I didn't know what I was doing!). So I did the logical thing: I hid. In my room. Like a girl. Why in the Makai am I writing this all down?

Well, I didn't come out for about a week- my standoff with Raizen and Yomi had taught me patience, among other things. The only reason I _did_ come out was that I had to report to Enki how many humans we had found, how many had died, and how many had been returned home. Usually I didn't mind the weekly check-in; I was actually relieved to be the one giving reports instead of always receiving them. But what I DID mind was running into Hiei.

Which, of course, I did.

I almost turned tail and ran- but I was a warrior, and somehow, very _belatedly_, that warrior decided to show up. At least, she showed up enough to keep me standing there, gawking like an idiot and probably blushing even across the scarred side of my face. I didn't know what to say or how to say it- Should I apologize? I felt like I should. He was going out on a limb- a much thinner one than me. He was trying, really trying his best- he hadn't pushed me, he had been as gentle as he knew how to be... and he hadn't even known he was hurting me, because I had failed to tell him. He must be furious... furious and hurting and he must never want to see me again, not after that...

"I'm so sorry."

Hiei's expression was as icy as ever, but his eyes had melted. I saw that as I looked up and into his face for the first time. And his lip quivered, almost imperceivably.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, a little bit louder. "I didn't know. I don't know anything about... this. I won't do it again."

My heart melted, in that instant. And I knew. I kissed him, this time; I pushed him to the wall and kissed him.

"I don't want to lose you," I whispered against his mouth, feeling him stiffen with surprise. "I don't care if my tongue gets singed just a bit. I don't care. Let me kiss you. Don't shy away."

It took him a long, terrifying moment; I didn't stop kissing, willing him to respond, willing the mistake to just... go away.

And then Hiei pushed me back.

He was gentle... but he pushed me back, tender but firm in his refusal.

And this is number seven: Don't jump to conclusions.

I didn't slap him; I wasn't quite that far gone- not quite that girly. So I punched him. Hard. In the gut.

Hiei gagged softly, but I hadn't hit him hard enough to break the wall- crack it, yes, but not break it. So he looked up at me with sad eyes, and I felt instantly guilty. But I wasn't about to apologize, not after all that. His next words, however, knocked the breath from me.

"I'll figure it out," he said softly, smirking. "I'll fix the... problem. Then I'll kiss you again, alright?"

I blinked, eyes flicking down to the newly-inflicted wound on his belly and back to his sly face. My mind whirled, guilt and gratefulness and affection washing through me like a tide. I reached up, then, and pulled him to me in a warm embrace- I tried to put all the love I felt for him in that motion, and felt him- albeit a bit slowly -respond, wrapping his arms around me, one hand on the small of my back and the other finding the nape of my neck. He didn't cringe from my scars- he never did. And that's where we stayed.

Which brings me to my eighth and final tidbit, the one I'll leave you with:

Love him. Stick with him. And, if your tongue hurts too much to do otherwise, just hold him. Hold him tight and don't let go until both your bodies ache. Because demons like Hiei don't come around every day, nor do moments like those I've described above. So cherish him. Because he's worth it- at least Hiei is.

THE END

**(A/N) Hope** **that was enjoyable. If you liked it, please leave a review! :)**


End file.
